Tractor protests against European agricultural policy begin in the Canary Islands

PalmNeither the cold nor the bad weather forecasts stop the farmers: they begin the tractorsAround twenty tractors are already starting to parade from Campos towards Ariany, where almost 130 farmers from the Balearic Islands will meet with the aim of demanding solutions to the current critical situation of the primary sector and the uncertainty of the future of the island's countryside.

At 8:00 a.m. in Campos, about twenty tractors from the town, Santanyí, and Ses Salines gathered. They set off for Porreres, where they will meet up with their counterparts from Llucmajor and Pla before continuing on to Manacor and finally Ariany. Among the protesters are farmers who, due to the age of their tractors, were unable to bring them, but this did not prevent them from participating in the protest. "We'll go by car, no problem," said one farmer.

This Thursday, the agricultural sector will hold several demonstrations organized by various farmers' organizations across different municipalities in the Balearic Islands: Ariany, Palma, and El Mercadal in Menorca. Although there are two demonstrations in Mallorca, both share the same demands: a common Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), less bureaucracy, rejection of the European Union-Mercosur agreement, the need for compensation for the additional costs of island life, and support for the agri-food industry, among others.

According to Joana Mascaró, manager of the Union of Small and Medium Farmers and Livestock Breeders with the Intersectoral Agricultural Association (UPA-AIA), the tractor protest organized by UPA-AIA together with the Young Farmers' Agricultural Association (Asaja) and the agri-food cooperatives of the Balearic Islands will cause traffic jams.